Defending Blue Banisters (Lana's Misunderstood Record)
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- In this new installment of my Lana Del Rey retrospective series, we'll look at Blue Banisters, her 7th major-label album which gets way too much flack despite being one of her most intimate records to date. In this video, we'll remember the music, the reason why this album got made, and the way this album set her up for the beloved Did you know there's a tunner under Ocean Blvd. #lanadelrey #popmusic #bluebanisters
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Blue Banisters hive, we rise!
WE RISEEE
YESSSS
No skips. Period.
I rise, i, rise
WE ARE HERE. STRONGER THAN EVER!!!!!
Blue Banisters was THE album, everything about it screamed Lana del Rey in the best way possible. Critics only recognize artistry when its mainstream and caters towards an easy listen.
It’s so sad because music is a form of literature and I feel like critics forget that, even the silliest jingle for an ad is a story 😭
I adore this album! I feel like it’s one of her best. It feels to me that it captures everything she is. I feel like Tori Amos’ Boys for Pele is similar in that it captured everything amazing about her but is often considered too weird or experimental by critics etc.
SO SO SO AGREED, thats why its my fav album😩🥺
Mmm I've become a fan of Blue Bannisters over time and it has some of my favourite Lana tracks but Ocean Boulevard is a lot less of an easy listen and is widely positively regarded by critics so I wouldn't necessarily agree that critics only favour easy listening.
@@TheeRatMilkit took me one listen to absolutely fall in love with blue banisters while ocean Blvd took me around 10 listens to get into. I think blue banisters is filled with more flaws but it's such a tender record where she did everything that she wanted to which made it everything that I loved, even tho I agree ocean Blvd is much better objectively.
I think this album is geared towards her more mature fans. Im in my 30's and i love this album. Its complex, a bit messy, and raw.
Tbh I see so many young Lana stans hate on this but like honestly they’ll age into it
@@EljohnMacaranas it’s hard being 15 and having Blue Banisters being my first Lana album and my favorite😭
@@EljohnMacaranashonestly i was 14 when i fell in love with this album
Same here. I'm 45 now and the title track is more devastating and beautiful than I could've appreciated in my younger years.
@@teddybrooksjr.2868same!!
I wouldn't say this is a heartbreak album. It's more of a healing album. Most of the songs in Blue Banisters are about healing, moving on from toxic situations and finding the strength within yourself to live your life the way you want. I think people who say this album lacks cohesion aren't paying enough attention.
Its ideas and themes are cohesive, the reviewers only had like a week or two of listening. They pump and dump reviews.
This album made me realize Lana is a lot more self-reliant and independent than we once thought.
blue banisters became one of my favourite albums of all time
the title track is so heartbreaking
wildflower wildfire is my favourite off the record ❤❤
Yessss! Wildflower Wildfire is her autobiography 💙
Literally same!!! WW is my favorite too and BB it's just so magically perfect.
Aaaah Blue banisters also grew so much on me that is now my favorite album and wildflower wildfire is my favorite song ever. So nice to see it has the same impact on so many people, even though it's not even close to what it deserves.
Wildflower Wildfire is my favourite Lana song alongside Ride
Blue Banisters is easily both one of her most healing and simultaneously depressing albums. its so incredible
I feel like when an artist shares a healing experience, it also reverberates to its listeners! 💙
Agreed ❤
The way nobody could ever make me hate any Lana Del Rey Album, that is Mother forever pls
Every album hits, better track record than The Beatles hands down
Lana is an artist, and exhibits that relevancy exists beyond the “hits”
Honestly, I’m so glad she never chased hits
I have absolutely NO idea why people HATE this album. It has ZERO skips & the best interlude ever.
literallyy I LOVE LOVE LOVE the interlude!!
That interlude is everything
I think Blue Banisters and Ocean Blvd are both albums that invite conversations about much more mature topics than what we've seen Lana do in the past. I think a lot of Lana fans are kind of 'stuck' in the Born To Die era because it's where we really saw the Lana Del Rey *persona*. Now that she's inviting a bit more of herself, Lizzy Grant, into her discography people aren't willing to let go and embrace the new, more vulnerable music. As much as I LOVE the BTD era I think we should be more open to accepting the fact that Lana is growing up and her music is maturing with her.
Honestly, I really do think BTD is worth praising forever but it was always was just a reflection of her tastes and aesthetics at the time of release with major label support. Each album is a snapshot for sure of where she is at but I do agree she’s sorta put more of herself into the music. The first 3 albums felt distant despite being so powerful. These past 4 have felt so personal.
People who like BTD the best are the exact same people that think Radiohead should have just spent 25 years rehashing OK Computer 🥱
I am not sure how this album can be hated … I turned 25 right before the album came out, and honestly… it hit the spot. Trying to understand the issues with family that were coming back from my childhood, healing from a toxic codependent relationship, self-reflecting about self worth, trying to loose “quarantine fifteen” I gained while on lockdown, thinking if I ever want to have a family of my own… A huge mess of thoughts and emotions… Blue Banisters was EXACTLY what I needed at that time to navigate them all and feel them all. Cry the tears that needed to be cried, say the words that needed to be said, and accept the truths that should’ve been accepted a long time ago.
I think it was really younger stans and those who can’t let go of BTD who disliked this. This album was a “reset” album for Lana and listeners, the world was just reopening again when it dropped. I fully agree with what you wrote!
THIS
I adore Blue Banisters. The song "Blue Banisters" is one of her best written songs.
Honestly, it’s an American fable put to music and lyrics, probably as relevant today as it would have been 100 years ago and 100 years from now
I agree, it was Dylan & Cohen level poetry in songwriting.
@@EljohnMacaranas 100%
Blue banisters is her best album in my opinion. So serene and heartfelt
Oh it’s definitely the most Lana as a person album she’s done, Ocean Blvd as well, but at the time of release it really was the most heartfelt one.
This album deserves respect for Dealer ALONE! (as well as all the others, they're all amazing 👏🏻 🤗)
That song captured my feelings about being locked at home better than any song ever 😭
I DON'T WANNA LIIIIVE
My favourite album, she's just so open about her life and I feel like BB is a safe haven for any listeners, sort of creating a small community.
So many people jumped into Ocean Blvd without this album so they were like blindsided by Fingertips and other tracks when BB set them up beautifully
@@EljohnMacaranas Fingertips is one of my favs from Ocean Blvd, and I think if you never really listened to BB, most people would just brush past it as another sad Lana ballad, which it is, but with the knowlege behind the whole BB songwriting, Fingertips is more impactful. Another track I think BB set up really well was Grandfather, with the family themes 🤷♀ Just my take on it
I have always viewed Blue Banisters as almost an autobiography of her life. I think including the demos and unreleased tracks tied it back to her past, which thus links to the album being biographical. It also feels like a test for what she could (and did) explore in Ocean Blvd, with her most recent music feeling more personal than ever.
I like it being a test of sorts, Ocean Blvd felt like BB’s chrysalis becoming a proper butterfly
I skipped out on BB for the longest time because Chemtrails and I don’t get along very well 😅. When I finally did listen to BB, I was so distraught and upset with myself for missing out on it for so long. BB is definitely one my favourites from her.
I feel like the fact it still hits and isn’t tied to an explicit time period other than the occasional post pandemic reference is why it’s so good
Chemtrails and Blue banisters are beautiful folk albums. People saying it’s bad just don’t like the genre. They’re not bad.
sam e
@@lewiswoodhall I love blue banisters but hate chemtrails it’s not the genre for me
@@lewiswoodhall they are tone deaf but it’s ok only some can experience this magic 🖤
blue banisters is my favorite album no joke. it's pure poetry and it's just so beautiful
It’s so overhated I’m so sad people don’t love it like…
She's a true icon, considering she debuted at the age of 26 she truly acheived so much, this album has my second favorite song by lana which is wildflower wildfire, and the first one is Terrence loves you, the lyric "here's the deal, my father never stepped in when his wife would rage at me, so I ended up awkward but sweet" cuts deep, for me it's the opposite "my mother never stepped in when her husband would rage at me so I ended up awkward but sweet" sorry for the very long comment, and thank you for the very well researched and constructed videos you do, you have become one of my favorite youtubers
Thank you so much! I’m glad to have you as a subscriber! 💙 And omg that lyric… parallel 😭
Of the two records she released that year, "Blue Bannisters" was far and away my favorite of the two. Even while I like "Chemtrails," I can't help but find it slight by the end, as if there's something missing. With "Blue Bannisters," I think it was the prelude to what made "Ocean Blvd." a great record (I know it's only been a few months, but it might be my favorite now). As you mention, she's turning more personal and the introspection allows for some interesting decisions. I love the daunting nature where melodies seem to shake-up between verses and choruses or how confidently she sings over them. Even if viewed as a test run for her next record, it's a fascinating look into her as an artist and one that finds her creatively maturing into something greater than mere pop star. She keeps challenging herself and I love that about her.
I understand criticism that this is a messy and divisive record and sometimes I wonder if I only love it because of how long I've been a fan. Even while I consider it one of her absolute bests, I think it's a bit too sprawling and challenging that I don't think I've appreciated all of its tricks just yet. Still, how could you not enjoy her sticking trap beats over a random Ennio Morricone song to signify an act break? She does so many fun things here that I am thankful she hasn't lost her personality even as she's grown more serious. This is maybe my fourth favorite behind "Ocean Blvd.," "NFR," and "Honeymoon" and one that has benefited from years of revisiting. It'll probably take many more before I fully love it, but it still hits all of the notes for what I love about her recent era. She feels freer since "NFR" and it's only allowed her to make some of her best music... so far.
I agree with all your points like honestly this album set up Ocean Blvd so it’s really ironic seeing people who didn’t like this praise that album. Yah there are some upbeat cuts on that one but the DNA and lyricism of this one will probably inform and influence her next records.
The touches you noted like sticking trap beats to Morricone to make an act break and how free she writes and acts makes me certain her next magnum opus on its way.
I think BB is hands down one of her best albums❤️ There is a depth and rawness to it that I didn't see in her past work. To me it feels more her and personally revealing. She's no longer the sad girl chasing her pill popping "daddy". She's a woman exploring all the why's behind who she used to be.
I think contextualizing her actions and words was necessary, for so long she was seen as this cartoonishly flawed character when she was really just a writer who mastered a persona people wanted to buy into so bad they demonized her for it 😭
You seem to listen to, see and talk about music the same way that I used to. Unfortunately, I lost all my music, both literally and figuratively. It was due to and the cause of a lot of personal trauma for me. But watching your videos makes me pray that much harder that I'll get it all back. 💙 Thank you.
I’m rooting for you! Music is a healing element, the most human thing you can do and enjoy. I’m manifesting you reclaim that power. Thank you 💙
Blue Banisters is def my 2nd fav Lana album, BB deserved better
It’s too good to ignore and contains some of her best writing ever. 😭
@EljohnMacaranas but also some of her worst (beautiful)
no, i love this album! i started listening to lana in summer 2022 n i went in order of albums n got to bb in nov/dec and at first listen it didn’t hit me then i listened again n i fell in love. it’s hard to replay for me bc it really puts me in a somber mood as i relate to it so much but it’s defo a personal fav of mine 💕. i feel like it was a warm-up for what to expect with ocean blvd.
It’s probably the closest to a winter album Lana has and that’s sorta what made it click for me, I feel like it’s a mood listen for sure but def a prologue for Ocean Blvd 💙
@@EljohnMacaranas it is! n i listened to cocc in fall n it is soo nostalgic n fall vibey it’s insane. i cannot wait for fall to get those feelings back again !
I'm a 14 year old who is now in love with lana. My point is that this album made me fall in love with her. When blue banisters came out, I started to explore my music taste and thought lana del rey sounded cool and her top hits had cool names to them so I was like why not. I listened to bb the same week it released and I was immediately captivated by Arcadia, violets for roses, thunder, etc. I saw the cd in target and I bought it. As time went on I would listen to bb all the time and started to listen to her other albums aswell. I alr knew nfr and cotcc before I heard BB but I still didn't understand her music once I started listening to her more. I was coming from music that was very main streamed and popular so lana was definitely different from what I listened to. My favorite album of hers became ultraviolence until recently I started to notice thay BB is js very easy to listen to. It's so comforting and I can easily listen it all in one sitting, I know most of the lyrics to every song and I feel that BB doesn't get the recognition it deserves. I would gaslight myself that ultraviolence was better but it js wasnt. I now have ultraviolence and nfr as cds and i know every lyric to both albums. While other albums of hers I don't listen to as much, I still listen to some songs in them. BB is js an amazing album will forever be a special album to me even if it's not as popular as others. BB was my blue print as a lana stan. My top three albums are BB, UV, and NFR/Ocean blvd.
Love that you’re also a UV stan! I feel like lots of UV bleeds onto this record just with different softer production, that record is probably a one-off since she never came back to work with Dan Auerbach again. Your top 3 was mine when BB came out, Honeymoon floats in and out for me.
My favorite Lana album EVER! So raw, so real and so deep ugh I love it. Wildflower Wildfire is my fav from this record
I’m so happy to see people give Wildflower Wildfire its flowers!
Blue Banisters was there for me in a very hard time of my life and though I'll never stop thinking about that point in my life, it's such a whimsical and intimate album that I just can't help but listen to the music with nothing but fresh, new emotions that are conquered by mostly awe.
On a side note, I'd love for you to review Gracie Abrams' Good RIddance, her debut album. It's one of the best debut albums of all time to me, along with Sour and Life Support. She sings about the mistakes she has made in past relationships and as a growing person, something you don't encounter often in art. I'd absolutely love to hear your thoughts on the brutally honest album that is Good Riddance. Keep up the amazing work!
I’ve been with Lana since late 2011, I graduated in 2014 with ultraviolence. I fell off the next couple albums, personal mess and early 20s. I went through a health setback, brain injury in 2020 and I was still crumbling in 2021. Blue Banisters just broke my heart and healed it and gave me the solace and freedom to express myself again. Arcadia just is the most unreal song. We are the lucky ones indeed. ❤ I’ve dealt with plenty in my 28 years but it’s Lana’s music that’s been a constant since I was 15. Thank you Lana, and thank you all for recognizing and respecting her. ❤
OMG we’re contemporaries!!! Same timeline. So sorry to hear about all that befell you but I’m glad you had Lana as a comfort and a constant! 💙
As a woman going through divorce at 30, Lana has been the soundtrack to my life lately 😭 my friends are sick of it but every album brings its own feel and catharsis. BB quickly making its way to the top for me
Honestly, feel those emotions! BB is a processing album tbh, I think there’s something resonant about digging through old stories and memories to make sense of new feelings and a new world 💙
Tbh Blue Banisters is one of, if not my favourite Lana album. I don’t understand why people can dislike it…
Agreed!
I love this album it’s in my top 2 with ultraviolence I don’t know why people hate it a lot of the songs made me cry because of the lyrics and etc
Ultraviolence and this record are two sisters!
So here for this Blue Banisters is my favorite album and it is 100% the most hated among the stans
It’s a shame because it’s her most authentic record, like a time capsule of her life and has some amazing scrapped songs on it. I’d love another BB album with Fine China on it
@@EljohnMacaranas Totally agree, Fine China is such a powerful song especially in the new context of Sean Larkin, who she was probably putting her hopes of becoming a mother into, getting married to someone else while in a relationship with her ("my husband-to-be packed his things to run"). I'd love to see it re-recorded, I Talk to Jesus as well.
Blue Banisters is my second favorite Lana record after Ocean Blvd. I love it so much, thank you for the video.
Taste!
I was starting to listening to her music when this album dropped. I had nothing to say but it was BEAUTIFUL, and I'm so happy this was the first full listen album that I did.
Whoa, you jumped in at a v unique moment!
YES IM SO HAPPY UR COVERING THIS!!! BLUE BANISTERS IS SO SPECIAL
I’d been asked too many times but in the midst of this extreme summer heat and reflecting on this album, I had to give it the flowers it deserves 💙
Thank you for making this video! I honestly didn’t know how overlooked/misunderstood Blue Banisters was. I think along with Ocean Blvd, this is Lana at her most personal and raw. Thunder was the track that touched me immediately when I heard it and the whole album is beautiful. I can’t wait to see what she does next!🤍
Thunder is one of the most beautiful tracks she’s ever done! 😭🥰
@@EljohnMacaranas So true!💕💕Also would you ever make a video about the era/album of Lizzy Grant? 🥰
I love that the album had so many of my favorite unreleased songs
I think it’s so rare for artists to drop unreleased favorites like… it’s such an easy layup. Taylor’s monetizing it now but like Lana’s treasure trove of songs needs to be on streaming.
Blue Banisters is my favorite album of hers it’s the most perfect album I never understood the hate it got
It was everyone wanting BTD lana back when she made no hints that was ever happening at the time 😭 like tbh BB is the foundation for Ocean Blvd
BB is one of my personal faves. Aging with Lana means for me that I generally prefer her later albums (from NFR on)
Agreed. I do adore the first few albums but from a nostalgic sense in that it’s hard to relate to them these days.
It’s my favourite album. It’s so honest, complex and it’s sooo hauntingly beautiful in every sense. Lyrically and vocally. So I can’t say anything but that most of the people are just to focused on how viral it is and not on the good music (Lana’s viral music is amazing as all the music she has)
Blue banisters is what got me back into listening to Lana forever one of my favorite albums from her
I think NFR and BB did a good job bringing back old time listeners to the fold
Never really understood why there was such a huge difference in response to BB after COTC. It was lacking big promo and that’s what I thought it was, but on art and personal reference levels BB was phenomenal.
Personally I was obsessed and even relieved after COTC which disappointed me a little.
I think of this album as a gift from her to us fans. This album didn’t have to happen, she didn’t have to do it cause it doesn’t change or affect directly her career. She did it for us, not for the masses. It’s like a intimate concert just for true fans. A chance to know her better as a person.
It ultimately became my 2nd favourite and I’ll always be defending it
I think for sure it was how understated it was combined with an itch for uptempo Lana’s return. I fully agree that it’s up there amongst her best works and truthfully deserved more praise. Ocean Blvd would never exist without this one.
Wildfire wildflower is such a hard hitting song (Thunder as well) I have so many favs from this album 😭😭
It’s a well assembled record
Amazing album. Took a while for me to truly appreciate this. Wildfire is my second fave after heroin. This album flows so wonderfully.
It feels so organic like pages from a journal!
The twilight scenes you put on here makes me giggle
I want to thank the legend that is 420filmgirlz (but honestly yes, Thunder is so Twilight coded)
absolutely adore how much depth and thought you put into your reviews and videos! so much info and yet so entertaining and concise. xoxo
Thank you! I see so many music review channels bleed into 1 hour long videos or like bite sized 5 min vids that don’t do enough. Love them all btw no shade but IDK I don’t wanna make videos for UA-cam’s algorithm lmao… I just wanna spill
That album always gives me the concept of going back to your hometown and deciding to heal and express thoughts on friends, family, amd current issues that are on one's mind.
YES! I’m visiting my hometown and it really resonated with me hence me making this video like it really fits that
i absolutely never even thought of blue bannisters and ocean blvd as sisters until right now lmaoooo they both made each other so much better
I think they share a lot in common even if Ocean Blvd's the hotter younger sister people like more.
my second favorite lana album!! it helped me so much when i left my abuser! its so comforting and healing
Blue Banisters is my comfort album and has helped me through months of panic attacks. I find it to be very relaxing and beautiful; some songs even made me instantly happy when I heard them: Violets for Roses, Thunder, Text Book, Arcadia, Black Bathing, and Nectar of the Gods. I remember whenever I had bad anxiety about school I would just play these songs. Also the Trio Interlude introduced me to the movie The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly + Morricone’s compositions in general, both of which are brilliant. Fine China should have totally made the album!
my favorite album of hers and the perfect companion to did you know there’s a tunnel under ocean boulevard
Without BB, Ocean def would have never existed
It doesn't deserve the hate! BB is an AMAZING album. Lyrically complex and beautiful harmonies.
So true 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Ngl I had a feeling this would be one of your favorites and that you would (rightfully) praise it.
Someone told me that since I loved Folklore and Evermore so much for the more complex writing and style that I would adore this one as well, and I did! You said it perfectly, it really does showcase her craft and her love for poetry.
I saw another video on here that said Honeymoon was her most underrated album and then I saw that they didn’t really care much for BB… I understand that this album is not for the easy listener, it’s not mainstream but to rank it lower than Honeymoon? Illegal. 😫
Thanks for watching! 💙 I made a video about Honeymoon being underrated myself but I’d never go out and say this album was bad. Like this album’s such a well crafted love letter to her poetic side (which has always been there, I think the demos were put as a flex to say she’s always been a poet)
Wow what a great analysis! 👏👏👏 my favorite Lana album is finally getting some recognition!!
Gift that keeps giving!
God i love this album so so much, even tho it is a bit incohesive considering the fact that it is a bunch of old songs put together, the theme and aesthetic that this album portrays is absolutely beautiful. Second fav album after UV. In an odd way, i feel like this is a continuation of UV, but a decade later.
Oh that’s true, the DNA is there. UV has always been the odd sheep so it makes sense BB is the equivalent after NFR sorta reset Lana’s cycle
Blue Banister is fantastic from track 1 to the last. Unlike Chemtrails that left me wanting for more. if You Lie Down With Me, Black Bathing Suit and Violet & Roses are absolute jems I listen to almost daily. It felt not fully cohesive due to the inclusion of some “older” songs but I took that as a gift to the die-hard fans like me who had desired some of her unreleased tracks to be included in a studio album, so I’m happy for how things turned out. Thanks Lana 💜🌈🙏🏻
Blue bannisters > chemtrails
Honestly we need another collection of older songs. She has so much unreleased material that needs another examination.
Some of my favorite songs off Blue Banisters are: Text Book, Blue Banisters, Black Bathing Suit, If You Lie Down With Me, Violets for Roses, Dealer, Thunder, Wildflower wildfire, Nectar Of The Gods, Living Legend and Cherry Blossom. They are all honestly so beautiful I don't see how people hate on this album. It's a work of art same goes for her other work.
It’s just as important as the other records she’s done, I hate seeing ppl erase it
You just listed half the album 🤣
@@tobyjackman3212 precisely :3 just to show how good the album is theres many great songs!
So here's why Blue Banisters is a special album for me. I've followed Lana's career since late 2011 and I fell in love with how BTD sounded. For a long time I was looking for that particular sound and I was very happy when Lust for Life brought it back, at least partially. Then I realized that NFR was again very different and then COTCC made me realize that okay, that sound is probably never gonna come back, which made me feel kind of sad and disappointed. When Blue Banisters was released, I decided to listen to it with an open mind, letting go of all expectations. It worked: either that or the collection of songs on this album, or both, but I felt that I got a peak into Lana's life, which made me start to see her in a different way. I revisited NFR and COTCC afterwards and I started to have a new appreciation for them and I also started to get why NFR is regarded as her magnum opus. (To be honest, back then I thought NFR was a bunch of boring songs.)
So Blue Banisters made me Lana fan -- again, for which I'm really thankful.
I think part of why people got hooked back into Lana via BB is the fact she draws on some of her older demos. She’s evolved as a writer so that tinge of familiarity combined with the newer tracks, sorta allows people to see her newer actual mature self.
I'm just about to watch this video, but before I do, I just wanted to say that I fuckin love Blue Banisters. It's an incredible album. I love her really personal albums. I think she did a lot of really great experimentation, and there were so many moments in her songs that still just blow me away. Especially on Dealer when she just goes all out. It's such an underrated album, but I think that it rivals NFR and Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard?
Blue Banisters has to be one of her best ever. Just a beautiful collection of demos and newer tracks she composed. No Jack (not to hate on him bc he’s great with her tbh). No real gimmicks.
The title track is one of my favourites. It’s so good.
One of the loveliest tracks she's ever done! Just really well structured storytelling!
ngl my most listened album by her right now, i love her ballads. I didn't liked it at first listen but all songs grew on me. Ballads mixed with rawness and organized chaos. Uv and bb are my comfort albums
UV and this album have to be some of the most contextually misunderstood things she’s ever made
i'm a fan of 10 years and her artistry just amazes me every single time. talk about creating such a diverse discography...
i'm not necessarily a "dig into the lyrics" type of person so it makes my experience so layered in time. i remember listening to honeymoon every single day after being sent abroad away from my family for months; it gave me solace as i grew appreciation for every detail. her music manages to speak to me even when i don't relate to the themes she brings up -- now that's power. blue banisters has that power too. i still wouldn't place it in my top 3 ldr records, but i can't deny it was a start of this great new era for her that is ocean blvd.
Very few artists make it to the amount of albums she does, yet each album “works”, this one def set up Ocean Blvd for the success it ended up receiving, if only those listeners would revisit this one 😭💙
YES THANK YOU 💜💜
I was waiting for ages for someone to correctly critique this record 😭
I saw BB slander the week I recorded this and went... NO!
I didn't even know it was misunderstood. My favourite album is Ultraviolence and Blue Banisters second 😅. Just getting caught up in the Lana lore now, until now I was just listening to her music and that's it, it's good music whether you have context or not 🖤
Like honestly the context is what makes it so outstanding! Like her being able to recontextualize leaked/scrapped songs into a record without Jack 🖤
When I saw the title of this video I thought, "who needs to defend Blue Bannisters? It's such a good album" but then I remembered i didn't really like this album on first listen but over time it has become one of my favourites by Lana. It strikes me as a fall album, signifying change or maybe it's just because I listened to it almost every day on my commute last fall/winter. The album is so beautiful and I love it so much. I think my favourite songs are "if you lie down with me", " wildflower wildfire" , "Arcadia", "dealer" and "black bathing suit".
I genuinely think people need to like live and listen to it to get it, unlike her other albums
I’ve been a lana fan since like 2020, and when Blue Banisters came out I hadn’t really listened to it. I listened maybe to Violets For Roses, Dealer and Arcadia. I wasn’t hating on it at all and never thought it was bad I just liked other albums better. I just recently listened to it fully and I love it. It’s still not my favourite but it definitely opened my eyes and I get why it’s stans defend it so much. It’s a beautiful album, it has many different songs - it reminds me of Born To Die in a way, both albums are versatile and beautiful. I really don’t know why this album didn’t get as much recognition.
I blame the fact she was off social media and just not in the mood to promote traditionally.
Wildflower Wildfire is definitely one of her best
That one should have been the main single at some point
agree.
It's amazing! So much better than Chemtrails
Agreed 💙
How can people not like the songs Thunder, Cherry Blossom, Wildflower Wildfire, Textbook, Blue Banisters, & etc
A lack of taste I think!
the title track has always stood out as one of her best, it's so gorgeous, will have to listen to the whole thing again
The way she vocalizes adds so much more richness to the lyrics, you can feel the emotion
There's something about Wildflower Wildfire and Blue Banisters... the composition is so personal yet the delivery is so relatable. The only thing about this album that I don't really love is the lack of cohesiveness in the mixing and mastering processes. Some songs even sound unfinished and not in a good way. Other than that, the title track and WW (and also Text Book) are three of her strongest songs.
I blame the fact some of these were likely demos that weren’t tweaked or touched beyond some touch ups.
I love Blue Banister’s. It’s my second favorite Lana album after Ultraviolence. I am a business owner and I named my company after the song Arcadia
We stan a girlboss! Congrats on the business! 🎉
@@EljohnMacaranas Thanks! 🫶🏼
it’s my fav lana album it’s from the soul, it’s only for her and her soul and it’s raw and touching, real & beautiful
Yessss 💙
I love BB because it takes me back to the feelings that I had towards a friend, in which I later told him that I liked him through a FaceTime… too bad I fucked things up afterwards.
Oh that’s a bummer to hear 😭
@@EljohnMacaranas , it’s bittersweet in a sense? This album is one of my favorites that I go back to often though , and I did just recently get it on vinyl :)
this is my favorite lana album; its simple beautiful, from start to end. thunder, black bathing suit and nectar of the gods are my fav off the record :)
Oh those 3 are part of her GOAT fr
no wayyy that was my fav Lana album out of all
The way Twitter on release day was a warzone
First listened to it during a depressing cold winter and it was great for that lol
It’s her one winter album 💙
I’m obsessed with this album and Thunder! This song is amazingly beautiful.
Oh Thunder in particular's such deep cut! It deserves so much praise!
i just wanna shout I LOVE YOU BLUE BANISTERS…really helped me get through A LOT
Legit probably her most healing work to date.
Arcadia and blue banstries and nectar of the gods and DEALER was my favorite songs the fact that ppl hated this album shocked me this album was amazing and most ways
Some twitter stans have no taste, they just want songs to make tiktoks edits to
I didn't realise people didn't like this album, I think it's her best. The only one I have on vinyl
It’s a controversial one on Twitter lol
I have to say that this video was super nice to watch, your really put in the work and though to it and made me appreciate this album even more.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for watching! 💙
For me BB is proof that Lana has control over her music. Since as always, Lana has made "unintelligent" decisions at the music industry level - not very mainstream, where you realize that behind that decision is not a large and strategic record label but the artist. Like the self-made covers of the first 3 singles released (very handmade). Also, I think that here on BB are the most personal songs that she has released in her career (wildflower wildfire, text book, black bathing suit, sweet california) which obey his most current style, this makes this album take a place very important in her career. We also find musical experimentation with dealer, it is a gem, how an artist plays in this way with the voice and the composition is superb. We also find songs rescued from years and eras past, instant classics, that are recognized from the first second since they draw directly from a certain stage in her career, and without fear that it would take away the cohesiveness of her album, she decided to put them in inside this album, this is an experimentation. Very genuine artistic, in which you realize that she is not worried about following a strategic formula of the music industry. Not to mention the very homemade and "low fi" videos that she make or "naturalistic" ones. For these reasons, I believe that it is an important album for the industry, beyond commercial success, since it is established that Lana as a woman in the industry is the owner of her career and is an organic, genuine artist, and owner of her art. Being rebellious by going in the opposite direction to mainstream decisions when releasing an album, without forgetting her particular promotion strategy: not self-promoting🤣. She is a unique artist.
I think Lana not being in service of trends despite setting up some amazing alt girl careers is what makes her so admirable to me. This record’s more or less a beautiful spread of songs recorded throughout her career and definitely set up Ocean Blvd up very well!
Blue Banisters is such a comfort album to me. I love all her albums, but Blue Banisters has such amazing songs like textbook, title track, Arcadia, Black Bathing Suit, If you lie down with me etc. I agree it’s way too overlooked/overhated but idc nothing will stop me from loving it. I’m glad to see other people saying they love it too 💙
Blue Banisters Battalion never goes down without a fight 💙
Blue Banisters Battalion never goes down without a fight 💙
Blue banisters is so beautiful how could anyone hate it 💔
Lack of taste for sure
This album is so beautiful and she's so good at transmitting the feelings on this songs. In my opinion if it wasn't more popular I think it is because Lana didn't want to.
Anyone else agrees that Blue Banisters deserves to be played entirely in a studio session or even in a live concert (though this is even less believable to happen) ?!
I feel like she should perform it in some capacity but her recent setlist is definitely her greatest hits and faves
This is such a good video!!! loved everything about it.
Thank you! It was hard to find visuals for my written portion which made it hard for me to like make this for a bit. Lana usually has photoshoots for every era and videos.
Thank you for the thorough explanation! It gave a lot of insights.
I think your comment at 0:39 spots right onto why I'm here in the first place...like, I know that this album is still very Lana, but as a fan, I lean more towards your description as one of those "audience of (an established) pop star". Therefore, the production of the songs in the album can't merge rightaway into my imagery of the Lana catalogue.
At first when she released the album, I was wondering how could she manage to release 2 albums in a year, and honestly think both albums feels rushed at production...in such case that the bit of being musically dull outweighted the beauty of her songwriting.
As I searched about some tracks of this album that I appreciate more, I was surprised to know that they were all outtakes from her previous work. That explains a lot like why she managed to do 2 in a year, and that also gives a special place for this album. I thought she was doing it for her fans, only from your video that I get to know she did it for defense and speaking for herself. That's so Lana lol
Was also happy to find out that the production was already having notable improvements comparing to those demos.
To be honest, base on the uniqueness of this album I know that I shouldn't disregard it, and your video did convince me to rate it better, but I'm still on a long way getting used to the "not as glamourous and complex" production of these 2 2021 albums😓
I respect the time and work you put in this video. But besides dealer and thunder, this is something I just couldn’t get into at all .. great video tho 🙏🏼
Thank you for watching and honestly I think that’s fine! I think an album succeeds (even if barely) if it can at least get a track or two in that gets you into it. 💙
Oh ElJohn, thank you for this video! I don't like the hate against BB because I feel its a personal album. I believe Lana's albums are a documented caption of America to her place in America. I would like for you to consider making a video about Lana's work exploring America and how she uses Hollywood to show the good, bad, and ugly sides of the US. In her later projects, I think she's exploring herself as an American and in America. She is literally adding to American Literature. How I see it:
1) BTD, Paradise, UV, HM- America.
2) LFL and NFR- America and LDR as an American.
3) COCC, BB, DYKTTATUOB- Lana's life living in America. These projects are about Lana and her world.
I hope you consider it someday. 🙂
Thank you for listening and honestly I do agree! I think she’s cataloging the modern American experience in her own context. Her imagery and attachment to the country often times is used to drag her but she’s the musical Jack Kerouac!
This album is absolutely beautiful, and very emotional, I wasn't ready for the emotions.
Literally Nectar of the Gods broke me on relisten
First of all, thank you for this Eljohn. I have to admit that I've always been a Chemtrails stan and thought that Blue Banisters was a teeny tiny bit unnecessary. I was in love with it when it came out, but the fascination had passed really quickly, quicker than with other albums. I didn't like the messiness of it (it's basically a selection of outtakes with some new songs), and Arcadia being the only "proper" single. However, after listening to it "properly" again one hot Spring afternoon, I fell asleep listening to it in my room in the middle of the day, and I discovered that there is a certain "lightness" to it. It's not very heavy. I can't imagine relaxing enough to half-nap to Body Electric, Cruel World or Lust for Life.
References to Zoom, masks, Covid, places opening after a period of lockdown, as well as a general simplicity of the instrumentals and mixes (maybe except for the brass section in If You Lie Down With Me) make it so different to the majority of her work. I get the same vibes from this record that I get from Sportcruiser (Violet). Just everyday life stuff, no Elvis, God, Heaven, Marilyn Monroe and glamour. I definitely appreciate it more now but Chemtrails will always be that slightly better 2021 record for me.
Thank you for watching! I def get why you’d love Chemtrails more tbh, this felt more like a ripped from the pages collection of diary pages vs a coherent clean sorta storyline. I do think BB v much feels like when you wake up from a good nap and feel like you have the answers to everything.
when i first got into lana early this year blue banisters was such a cultural shock. i went from listening to generic pop songs to falling in love with lana and her signature sound and writing. as an artist she was so intellectual, philosophical and just felt so authentic. the aesthetic she portrayed and the world she built was so amazingly represented sonically and production-wise. this was such a good review and really captured how raw, sentimental and literary lana's music is. she is and will forever be so ahead of her time.
Lana created a whole subgenre that got commodified while she kept making her own things. She is the alt girl crossover pinkprint.
love. love this album, so much. thank you for sharing your views on that!!
I will never not speak on the power of albums that deserve it!
@@EljohnMacaranas THANK GOD
@EljohnMacaranas if you want to check mine then.... it is called "Rock'N'Rose Life" - El Even 💌💐
YES YES YES AMENNNNN, im obsessed with this album and it makes me so angry how underrated it is.
Honestly, the week it came out was a battlefield
Very interesting vid & a seriously underrated LP that's I've been spinning repeatedly since its release.
Lots of great songs but Black Bathing Suit probably my favourite.
Cheers pal 💅
Her using Americana imagery is so LDR iconic, she should use more. I can’t believe she invented American culture…
She makes me proud to be an American… she really is Lady Liberty
My most favorite Lana album, so much emotion and rawness in the record. 10/10 truly.
Emotion is hard to find these days in music, it’s not quite the power but the delivery and the lyrics.
Blue Banisters is so ethereal and wordy, it’s beautiful stories being told.
Yes ethereal is the perfect word for it! 💙